Undergraduate URCA Poster Presentations
“Children’s norm violation expectations for prosocial and religious characters” Emily Yau
Emily investigated whether children, like adults, stereotype atheists as more likely to behave antisocially—a pattern observed even in secular societies and among non-religious individuals (e.g., Edgell et al., 2006; Dayer et al., 2024). To test this, she conducted two studies examining whether children’s expectations were shaped more by perceived religiosity or actual prosociality. Children were shown contrasting character pairs (Study 1: atheist vs. theist; Study 2: prosocial vs. non-prosocial), given norm violations, and asked which character likely committed them. The research also explored the role of age and family background (Study 1: family religiosity; Study 2: family volunteering). Children more often expected violations from atheists and non-volunteers, but background effects varied: family religiosity influenced Study 1 judgments, while family volunteering did not in Study 2.
